Playoff Push: SU Heads To Niagara

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The Syracuse ice hockey team closes the regular season this weekend when the Orange travels to Niagara for two games at Dwyer Arena, beginning Friday at 2:00 p.m. SU is 0-1-1 this season against the Purple Eagles. The Orange tied NU 3-3 before dropping a 2-1 overtime decision on Jan. 20-21 at Tennity Ice Pavilion.

Playoff Picture
The Orange is currently in fourth place in the College Hockey America standings with a 0-5-3 mark in conference play. Mercyhurst clinched the top seed in the CHA standings with 19 points, while Robert Morris is second with 15 points. The Purple Eagles are sitting in third place with six league points. Syracuse can overtake Niagara with two wins at Dwyer Arena this weekend.

The first place and fourth place teams at the conclusion of the regular season will faceoff in the CHA semifinals on March 2 along with the second and third place teams squaring off. The winners of the games will battle for the league title on March 3 in Moon Township, Pa.

Up Next: CHA Playoffs
Following this weekend's games at Niagara, the Orange will travel to Moon Township, Pa. for the 2012 CHA Playoffs, which begin on Friday, March 2. Syracuse has advanced to the conference championship game in each of the past two seasons against nine-time league champion Mercyhurst. Regular season champion Mercyhurst will take on the No. 4 seed on the first semifinal, while No. 2 seed Robert Morris will battle the No. 3 seed in the second semifinal. The winners will advance to the CHA Championship on Saturday, March 3.

Last Time Out
Brittney Krebs' first collegiate goal and 37 saves from Kallie Billadeau were not enough as No. 5/4 Mercyhurst scored the opening four goals of the game to down Syracuse (9-19-3, 0-6-3) on Friday afternoon at the Mercyhurst Ice Center, 6-2. Margot Scharfe also scored for the Orange with her 12th goal of the season while Molly Byrne had a goal and three assists for the Lakers (20-6-2, 6-1-2).

On Saturday, Billadeau made 44 saves for the Orange, but No. 5/4 Mercyhurst (21-6-2, 7-1-2) scored early in the first period before adding two more goals in the third to skate to a 3-1 victory against the SU ice hockey team (9-20-3, 0-7-3) on Saturday afternoon. Holly Carrie-Mattimoe scored her team-leading 13th goal of the season for the Orange.

Scharfe Hitting Her Stride
Since the start of the New Year, sophomore center Margot Scharfe has nine points in nine games (five goals, four assists). She has three multi-point games, including a goal and an assist at Quinnipiac on Jan. 28. Scharfe is tied for the team lead with 23 points on 12 goals and 11 assists, and has 38 points (19 goals, 19 assists) in 88 career games played. Her 19 career helpers are seventh on the all-time SU record list.

Carrie-Mattimoe Nears Power Play Goal Record
Junior forward Holly Carrie-Mattimoe scored her team-leading 13th goal of the season at Mercyhurst on Feb. 11. Carrie-Mattimoe now has 15 career power play goals in her two-plus seasons with the Orange, which tie Julie Rising's school record. Carrie-Mattimoe is tied for 28th in the nation, and tied for sixth in the conference.

Syracuse University Athletics

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